Fact Sheet

PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

TEST INFORMATION Reasons for Automatic Failure are:

This test was developed to enable schools to award
credit to students for knowledge equivalent to that,
which is learned, by students taking the course. The
school may choose to award college credit to the
student based on the achievement of a passing score.
The passing score for each examination is
determined by the school based on recommendations
from the American Council on Education (ACE®).
This minimum credit-awarding score is equal to the
mean score of students in the norming sample who
received a grade of C in the course. Some schools
set their own standards for awarding credit and may
require a higher score than the ACE
recommendation. Students should obtain this
information from the institution where they expect to
receive credit.
The test consists of two parts:
(1) Timing (shorter than 3 minutes-longer than
5 minutes)
(2) Editing
(3) Topic not addressed
(4) Failure to take a position
(5) Took several positions
If you take the Principles of Public Speaking
examination and fail, you may retest after 6 months
(180 days) on a different speech topic.
Part Two: A faculty member who teaches a Public
Speaking course at an accredited college or
university will grade the speech using the five
dimensions listed. Raters are trained to apply a
scoring rubric (guide) uniformly to all speeches. You
will have 10 minutes to prepare your speech, which
will be judged on the following dimensions.

Part One contains 84 multiple-choice questions and Structure/Organization: (25 percent)

is untimed. Students must pass both parts of the Delivery: (25 percent)
test in order to receive credit. Content/Supporting Material: (20 percent)
Effect/Persuasive: (20 percent)
Part Two requires the student to record an Language/Style: (10 percent)
impromptu persuasive speech that is approximately
4 minutes. Speeches that are shorter than
3 minutes or longer than 5 minutes will receive an
automatic failure. Speeches are to be recorded on
an audiocassette tape. The student will be given a
specific topic on which to speak and will have 10
minutes in which to prepare the speech.

Copyright © 2007 Prometric Inc., a Delaware corporation. All rights reserved. PROMETRIC, DSST, the DSST logo and Prometric design logo are
trademarks of Prometric. ACE is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education.
CONTENT
IX. Communication Apprehension 3%
The following topics commonly taught in courses on (understanding and controlling
this subject are covered by this examination: apprehension in public speaking)

Approximate X. Listening and Feedback 5%

Percent (listening techniques; obstacles to avoid;
I. Ethical, Historical, and Social 5% giving and responding to feedback)
Considerations of Public Speaking
(free speech in a democracy and XI. Criticism and Evaluation 8%
free speech issues) (criticizing and evaluating the
effectiveness of a public speech)
II. Audience Analysis and Adaptation/ 8%
Effect/Persuasive
(analyzing the audience and preparing
SAMPLE QUESTIONS (Part I)
the speech in terms of the needs of the
1. In both classical and contemporary views of
speaker and the major characteristics of
public speaking, primary attention is given to
the audience, e.g., age, sex, socio-
which of the following?
economic traits, education, political and
ethnic attitudes, available time, etc.) (A) Style of the speech
(B) Substance or content of the speech
III. Topics and Purposes of Speeches 11% (C) Delivery of the speech
(formulating appropriate speech topics (D) Organization of the speech
and speech purposes)
2. A speech divided into the three main divisions of
IV. Structure/Organization 18% animal, vegetable, and mineral would be best
(structuring introductions, bodies, and organized according to which of the following
conclusions; understanding thought patterns?
patterns and organizational strategies) (A) Temporal
(B) Cause-effect
V. Content/Supporting Materials 15% (C) Topical
(recognizing and using evidence, (D) Problem-solution
argument, and reasoning; formulating
logical, emotional, ethical, and credible 3. Speaker credibility refers most closely to which
appeals) of the following?
(A) Persuasiveness
VI. Research 5% (B) Effectiveness
(using reference materials and finding (C) Emotional appeal
sources in the preparation of a speech) (D) Believability
VII. Language and Style 11%
(using language appropriate for a public
speech)

VIII. Delivery 11%

(articulation, voice, pronunciation, and
body action)

2
4. In his famous "Liberty or Death" speech, Patrick 8. Which of the following terms is used for the
Henry said: argument that what a person hears last is
remembered best and has the greatest effect?
For my own part, I consider it as nothing less
than a question of freedom or slavery; and in (A) Primacy
proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought (B) Recency
to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this (C) Climax
way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and (D) Anticlimax
fulfill the great responsibility, which we hold to
God and our country. Should I keep back my 9. Which of the following patterns of organization
opinions at such a time, through fear of giving would be most suitable for speeches such as
offense, I should consider myself as guilty of "The events leading to World War II," "the
treason towards my country, and of an act of development of language in the child," and "the
disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which major steps in learning to use a computer"?
I revere above all earthly kings.
(A) Spatial
This excerpt provides an example of Henry's (B) Chronological
attempt to do which of the following? (C) Problem-solution
(D) Cause-effect
(A) Establish the truth of his proposition
(B) Establish his credibility
10. The degree to which the audience members have
(C) Present his opponents' arguments in a bad
counterarguments ready to answer an attack on
light
their beliefs, attitudes, and values is referred to
(D) Provide the audience with arguments to
as which of the following?
use against the alternative views they
would hear from other speakers (A) Persuasive presumption
(B) Inoculation
5. The assumption that a person who is competent (C) Selective exposure
in one field is also competent in another field is (D) Reinforcement
referred to as which of the following?
(A) Halo effect SAMPLE SPEECH TOPIC (Part II)
(B) Matching hypothesis
(C) Social exchange hypothesis Topic: Some people believe that all states should be
(D) Self-fulfilling prophecy allowed to pass laws requiring the death penalty for
certain crimes. Others feel that the death penalty is
6. The predisposition to act for or against a person wrong and should be abolished. Try to persuade the
or position is referred to as which of the audience of your position or point of view on the
following? death penalty. Include supporting arguments to
defend your position. Be sure to take the designated
(A) Attitude audience into consideration.
(B) Belief
(C) Value Audience: A college public speaking class composed
(D) Opinion of female and male students ranging in age from
18 to 30.
7. Most speeches should be prepared for which of
the following audiences?
(A) Hypothetical
(B) General
(C) Specific
(D) Idealized

3
STUDYING FOR THE EXAMINATION Sprague, Jo, and Douglas Stuart. The Speaker's
Handbook. Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace
The following is a list of reference publications that College Pubs., current edition.
were being used as textbooks in college courses of
the same or similar title at the time the test was Verderber, Rudolph F. The Challenge of Effective
developed. Appropriate textbooks for study are not Speaking. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, current edition.
limited to those listed below. If you wish to obtain
study resources to prepare for the examination, you Current textbook used by a local college or
may reference either the current edition of the university for a course on the subject.
following titles or textbooks currently used at a local
college or university for the same class title. It is CREDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
recommended that you reference more than one
textbook on the topics outlined in this fact sheet. The American Council on Education (ACE) has
You should begin by checking textbook content reviewed and evaluated the DSST test development
against the content outline included on the front process and has made the following
page of this Fact Sheet before selecting textbooks recommendations:
that cover the test content from which to study.
Textbooks may be found at the campus bookstore of Area or Course
a local college or university offering a course on the Equivalent: Public Speaking
subject. Level: Lower-level baccalaureate
Amount of credit: Three (3) semester hours
Sources for study material suggested but not limited Source: ACE Commission on
to the following: Educational Credit and
Credentials
Bradley, Bert E. Fundamentals of Speech
Communication: The Credibility of Ideas. Dubuque, INFORMATION
IA: Wm. C. Brown, current edition.
Colleges and universities that would like additional
DeVito, Joseph A. The Elements of Public Speaking. information about the national norming, or
New York, NY: Longman, current edition. assistance in local norming or score validation
studies should write to: DSST Program, Prometric,
Gronbeck, Bruce E. and others. Principles of Speech 2000 Lenox Drive, 3rd Floor, Lawrenceville, NJ
Communication. New York, NY: Longman, current 08648.
edition.
It is advisable that schools develop a consistent
Lucas, Stephen E. The Art of Public Speaking. policy about awarding credit based on scores from
Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Inc., current edition. this test and that the policy be reviewed periodically.
Prometric will be happy to help schools in this
McCroskey, James. Introduction to Rhetorical effort.
Communication. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon,
current edition.

Nelson, Paul Edward, and Judy Cornelia Pearson.

Confidence in Public Speaking. Madison, WI:
Brown & Benchmark, current edition.

Correct Responses: 1.B; 2.C; 3.D; 4.B; 5.A; 6.A; 7.C; 8.B; 9.B; 10.B

Rev. 20071116 - I.N. 390815

4